Statement of the Technical Field
The inventive arrangements relate to battery sensors for large-scale battery systems, and more particularly to systems capable of measuring electrical characteristics of large-scale battery systems down to the level of individual cells.
Description of the Related Art
Large scale battery systems are becoming increasingly important in certain applications. For example, such systems are commonly used in hybrid/electric vehicles (xEV) and other types of energy storage systems (ESS). A battery pack used in these applications may have a single pair of output terminals, but internally the pack is commonly comprised of many individual battery cells working together. The number of battery cells and the configuration of cell connection are selected to meet the requirements of a particular battery pack with regard to output voltage and power capacity. The number of cells connected in series determines an output voltage for the battery pack. The number of cells connected in parallel determines the amount of current flow and power capacity of the battery pack.
Proper electric and thermal management of large-scale battery systems (i.e., battery packs) is imperative. Such management is particularly important in systems that consist of many individual battery cells as may be used in hybrid/electric vehicles or energy storage systems. During operation, voltage, current, and temperature differences in the individual battery cells can lead to electrical imbalances from cell to cell. These imbalances are known to decrease pack performance and life time and are therefore to be avoided whenever possible.